


it's here where our pieces fall in place

by trinitarias



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Coming of Age Type-Like Feelings, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Choi Yeonjun/Kang Taehyun, Mutual Pining, Nostalgia, So Scary Getting Old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinitarias/pseuds/trinitarias
Summary: “A road trip?” Yeonjun blinks.“Yeah. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”“I do, I do. I’m just… surprised. It’s kind of unexpected,” he says, sipping on his drink. “We’ve all been so busy lately I thought we’d do something less…” he doesn’t finish his sentence; gives Soobin a brief glance and shakes his head, fond. He sets the half-empty glass between his hands, taps repeatedly on it. “So what do you have in mind?”Yeonjun's graduating. Things begin to change.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin
Comments: 25
Kudos: 76
Collections: TOMORROW X TOGETHER BIGBANG: 2020





	it's here where our pieces fall in place

**Author's Note:**

> [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/23r5fqFsNIawV0NoQZIarp).

i burned so long so quiet you must have wondered

if i loved you back.

i did, i did, i do.

— annelyse gelman.

Soobin opens with, “Yeonjun hyung is graduating soon. I think we should do something.”

The restaurant is small and cozy in a way only family owned businesses are; low laughter between regulars talking about their week and conversations with the owner about her daughter, the servers asking if they’d like their usual with a knowing look and tired smiles. Tonight their usual booth has enough space to let their limbs breathe and it feels out of place. Strange. The rush of college has been unkind this year; time seems to slip by their hands in the blink of an eye as assignment after assignment is taken care of and texts remain unanswered for days; lately, having everyone together for an evening is a challenge.

Last month, Taehyun and Beomgyu missed their Lotte World visit. Last week, Soobin missed their biweekly movie night. Today, it’s Yeonjun who’s missing. He’s been running around school with thousands of questions for his professors, making the final edits for his thesis. His eye bags look right at home in his face now; it’s been a long time since any of them have seen him at peace.

“What do you have in mind, hyung?” Taehyun asks as soon as he’s finished slurping his noodles. Beomgyu makes a wrap for Kai and feeds it to him. He wiggles in his seat, a clear sign of his happiness at being taken care of. He trades a quick glance with Beomgyu and gets his own private brand of smile, the ones he likes to keep close enough to his heart to unfurl slowly when he wants to; far enough from it they don’t hurt. Yeonjun’s told him before, _that’s his Soobin smile, Bin_. _Haven’t you noticed?_

Smoke rises from the grill while Beomgyu flips the meat and Kai flips the vegetables. Taehyun’s chopsticks knock on his bowl twice, a _click click_ sound returning his attention back to the initial question. His gaze is clear and a little sad – he’s known about Soobin’s feelings for a while now. He says, “I think a road trip would be really nice.”

“Oh!” Kai says, finishing his second wrap, cheeks still full. “I’m all for that. I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip with my best friends.”

“It’s a good idea, hyung.” Taehyun says and Beomgyu nods along with him. “Do you have any places in mind?”

“Well, not yet. I wanted to hear your thoughts first.”

“Knowing that hyung is also thinking about enlisting soon, the timing is really perfect.”

Three pairs of eyes zoom into him; Beomgyu shrinks under their stares and says, a little defensive, “What?” and immediately, “oh my god. He didn’t tell you yet?”

Taehyun clicks his tongue. “No. He didn’t.”

“I mean, it’s nothing definitive but we’ve – talked about it. A few times only but,” he confesses, looking around their table, eyes a hummingbird’s wings flitting around their faces.

“I’m sure hyung has his reasons. Let’s ask him about it later,” Kai says without missing a beat, wrapping an arm around Taehyun’s shoulder and squeezing him. Beomgyu’s eyes are downcast as he mindlessly continues to flip the meat. Soobin places a hand on his knee and plays with the loose threads of his jeans, knowing he finds it comforting. He waits until Beomgyu looks up again to give him a smile.

He clears his throat and says, “Okay. Where would you like to go?”

Kai immediately answers _Jeju!_ and Taehyun gives him a light smack on his arm, reminding him it’s a road trip. Beomgyu predictably asks to go to Daegu with the usual; _I want to show you my hometown, please_. Taehyun thinks about it for a little more time before answering he’s interested in Gangwon, _anywhere in Gangwon would be fun_. Soobin notes everything down on his phone, writes down his preferred destination after telling them about the beaches at Busan, how pretty they seem to be in pictures and how much his mom’s told him about them.

By the time everything’s been written down, the food’s become a memory. Taehyun and Kai make small talk with the owner, asking about her travels and her favorite places to go and in return she asks about Yeonjun; gives them a tea bottle for him.

Soobin pays for their meal with Beomgyu standing by his side, his cheek mushed against his shoulder, humming a song. It’s one of his favorites; Fiona Apple’s _Across the Universe_ , so he joins in and hears the smile in Beomgyu’s tone when he does.

“Are you sure that’s our total?” Beomgyu asks the cashier between casual, idle chatter. “I’m pretty sure it’s more than that. Could you please check again –”

Soobin pinches his ribs and he yelps. He gets his card back from her and bows. “Have a good night, thank you.”

Seoul at night is a pretty sight, much prettier than during the day. There are no visible stars, but the city lights work just as well; glinting and glowing from windows and buildings, thousands of colors together and apart reflecting in their shapes, painting them in yellows and blues. The echoes of spring are reflected in the city; the last of cherry blossoms drifting slowly in the wind, seasonal fruits almost out of stock and the particular bite of winter air is completely gone while the presence of summer seeps into Seoul slowly; with longer days and warmer hands, short-sleeved shirts chosen over sweaters.

The walk to Soobin’s building isn’t a particular long one; five blocks away from the restaurant and there it is, blending in perfectly with everything else in the city – usual, natural and not hard to see at all; but not easy to pinpoint exactly either. Beomgyu bounces on his feet when they arrive, looks at him expectantly. He’s been trying to talk Soobin into joining them for noraebang but his own pile of assignments looms on the back of his mind, a weight he can’t ignore.

For the moment, he looks at Beomgyu and lets himself think about him; how confident he looks these days, how time’s made him much more outspoken about his thoughts, how he’s bloomed right in front of him with the seasons as a witness.

“Are you sure you can’t come?” he asks not for the first time.

“He said he was busy, Beomgyu hyung. Consider Soobin hyung’s feelings for once, won’t you?” Taehyun says as he gets closer, one of his arms is secured around Kai’s for safekeeping purposes.

He pursues his lips, pouts. “I just want him to come with us.”

Taehyun rolls his eyes and Kai says, “Run away with us, Beomgyu hyung. Leave Soobin hyung so Taehyunnie and I can show you how to _sing_.” And waggles his eyebrows at the same time. Taehyun barely manages to contain his smile.

“I can sing fine, thank you.” Soobin quips back at Kai, making him stick his tongue out at him. He finds Beomgyu’s eyes again and says, “Gyu-yah, I can’t today. I’ll see you at the lantern festival’s parade, yeah?”

His shoulders slump but he doesn’t argue. “Okay, I’ll see you then,” and with a grin he adds, “Don’t get lost on your way home, hyung. I’ll be sad if you do.”

He steps away before Soobin can smack him. The three of them yell “Good night, hyung!” from a block away, hands in the air. He smiles, eyes curved upwards, twin half-moons, and waves back.

His apartment is small – all that matters is that he can sleep there and it’s larger than the university dorms by a considerable margin. The elevator doesn’t work four out of seven days and the walls are paper-thin, but his neighbors are kind; when he moved in he was received with freshly made cookies and a potted plant he was carefully instructed by an older lady to water whenever the soil got too dry.

He lies down on the couch for a moment to just breathe the day in and out; it’s been a long one.

Noticing how the moon’s changed her place in the night sky already, he stands up; showers and makes some tea, places some books and his laptop on the table to finish his homework. It’s been a long day and it’ll be a longer night. His phone pings and in their group chat there are two videos already: Kai and Beomgyu with microphones, Taehyun with his eyes closed and Beomgyu seemingly mimicking him in the background. He doesn’t tap them yet, looks for Yeonjun’s contact and taps call instead.

It takes three rings. He sounds tired when he answers. “Bin, what’s up?”

“Nothing, hyung. I just wanted to check how you’re doing.”

He groans and it’s all stress and worry in a single sound. “I’m getting there. I think I can make it for the next deadline without any issues, but we’ll see.”

“If you ever need anything – ”

“Yes, Soobin-ah. I know.”

He hears papers rustling from the receiver, a breath and a sigh. Soobin’s legs jiggle. He has to bring it up.

“Beomgyu said something tonight about how you’re thinking about enlisting soon.”

He’d think the line went dead if it wasn’t for the barely there noises of the city – Yeonjun lives much closer to downtown; Friday night traffic, music, shouts and laughter are his white noise. He says something but it’s muffled; probably against one of his pillows.

“Yeonjun hyung. You didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Bin-ah, you know how it is with me and Beomgyu,” he sighs, and Soobin knows. It’s the same thing between him, Kai and Taehyun; an easiness that runs deeper than they can understand sometimes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but it’s not set in stone. I was just toying with the idea.”

Soobin hums. “You know you can tell us anything, hyung.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Soobin-ah,” he can hear the smile in Yeonjun’s voice, ever so slight and there. “How was dinner?”

“It was really good! Aunties asked about you and they gave Taehyun-ah a drink for you, but I doubt you’ll get it. And actually, there’s something we have to talk about. Are you free tomorrow?”

“He can have the drink. He can have anything he wants,” Yeonjun says and Soobin can see the look on his eyes, starry-eyed and gone, gone. He rolls his eyes. “Not tomorrow. I can do lunch on Sunday. That’s about it.”

“That’s more than enough time, I think.”

“Time for what?”

“You’ll know later,” he says breezily, leaning back on his chair and Yeonjun mutters something that sounds like _kids these days, no respect_. “Anyway, did you check the group chat, hyung? What are they singing?”

“Minseo and Paul Kim’s _2cm_.”

“That’s one of my favorites.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. But let’s get back on track. Come on, tell me what’s all that about, yeah? I mean, why should I have to wait?”

“Because it’s a surprise.”

“You have a surprise for _me_?”

“Obviously. Now go back to studying, hyung. I have to do the same. Just get ready for it.”

“Choi Soobin, get ready for _what_.”

“A road trip?” Yeonjun blinks.

His donkatsu has been gone for the past ten minutes or so and he’s already ordered dessert. He’s been talking non-stop about how much his advisors are making him change the smallest details for no reason. Soobin has been nodding, saying _is that so_ and wrinkling his nose in distaste accordingly, knowing how stressed Yeonjun’s been and deciding to just listen to him rant, noticing how much lighter he seems now than when they stepped inside the small dinner. The waiter brings Yeonjun his makgeolli ice cream and his smile is nothing short of blinding.

Soobin swallows a bite of his kkwobarou. “Yeah. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”

“I do, I do. I’m just… surprised. It’s kind of unexpected,” he says, sipping on his drink. “We’ve all been so busy lately I thought we’d do something less…” he doesn’t finish his sentence; gives Soobin a brief glance and shakes his head, fond. He sets the half-empty glass between his hands, taps repeatedly on it. “So what do you have in mind?”

He mentions Busan, Gangwon and Daegu. Yeonjun nods like it’s all expected and maybe it is; traveling together is something they’ve discussed in passing daydreams; when everything is fuzzy and spilling secrets comes as easy as breathing.

“And how long do you think it will be?”

“Taehyun-ah said it’d be good for it to be a week to make it relaxing. It’s a road trip though; we’re bound to have some complications at least.”

Yeonjun hums. “You’re right about that. A week sounds good but it’d be fun to add more places to go. You want to take off the day summer vacation starts?”

“I think that’d be ideal. Kai-yah is going to visit his parents for the rest of the summer, so he’ll be here for that week and then fly back to Hawaii.”

“Wow. You’ve already thought that far ahead?”

Soobin shrugs, smiles. “Of course, hyung. They all really liked the idea and we care about you, so we want to make it as stress-free for you as we can.”

Yeonjun’s cheeks take on a light pink tint and Soobin laughs. He gets like that sometimes, simple reminders of _I care about you, hey_ make him self-conscious from time to time. He’s a lot better than he was two or three years ago, when it made him look at people strangely for much longer than it was comfortable.

“My little dongsaengs, all grown up and planning a trip for me… I could really shed a few tears here, you know.”

Soobin rolls his eyes, attempts to steal some of his dessert and gets a glare for it. “So, is there anywhere in particular you want to go?”

Yeonjun grins. “I’m glad you asked.”

The last weeks of June are a mess of exams and reminders – remember to book the minivan, Taehyun-ah. Remember to message me for the schedule, Beomgyu-yah. Yeonjun hyung if you aren’t sleeping right now I am willing to throw hands. Kai-yah please remember to buy the snacks with the budget we talked about. Don’t worry so much, Soobin.

Soobin sees them in moments during those days, never for more than an hour, never all of them at the same time. Beomgyu runs by him to get to his lectures and exams, always teasing him about something, his hand a dandelion seed away. Taehyun sends him reminders to eat, drink water and sleep well. Yeonjun doesn’t answer his messages but he knows he’s reading them and that’s enough. He exchanges good morning texts with Kai almost every day. He checks off days of his calendar and falls asleep to ticking clocks, deadline after deadline and feels slightly better.

By the last day of the semester, they’re too tired to do anything other than lay sprawled together in Kai and Taehyun’s living room with _Inception_ , as per Taehyun’s request, as background noise.

In the kitchen, Beomgyu and Kai prepare something – he used to be terrified of leaving them alone in a kitchen, the messes they left behind were hurricane-like. These days they’re more of a sunny day, warm breeze letting you know good things are on the way.

“I’m so glad it’s over,” Yeonjun groans and slides lower on the couch, his knees bumping against the small center table.

“You’ve worked hard,” Soobin says from the other side of the couch, and Taehyun, sitting on the floor, pats his thighs, repeats the sentiment. Yeonjun’s face softens almost imperceptibly when he looks at him – and he says, low and soft, “thank you, Taehyun-ah.”

Beomgyu’s voice echoes in the room, calling for Taehyun to go to him, something about helping them bring everything in a single trip. Yeonjun’s eyes follow him as he stands up and disappears from their sight. He’s never this obvious.

Soobin nudges one of his legs with a socked foot. “Are you okay in there, hyung?”

“He’s just so beautiful and this is so _hopeless_.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think so.”

“You’re my best friend; you’re supposed to say that,” Yeonjun deadpans, slapping his foot away. “Shut up now, they’re coming back.”

They bring tteokkkochi, popcorn chicken and chapssal doughnuts along with more drinks and packed snacks than he’s sure they can’t eat in one sitting. Yeonjun’s eyes sparkle; he grabs a bite of tteokkkochi as soon as Taehyun sets it on the table and dances on his seat while eating it. Soobin kicks him lightly and he pouts, making Beomgyu and Kai laugh, Taehyun chiding them to be careful. His eyes follow Beomgyu’s smile, natural as flowers blooming in spring or leaves coloring in autumn.

The space between them is a reminder of Soobin’s fears, a jump he’s not sure he can take. Beomgyu rests his head on Taehyun’s shoulders as he lets the conversation flow without him, his hair spilling around him like ink. He likes it longer these days, a dark wreath set on top of his head, something precious. He’s seen Beomgyu go from light brown to grey, blonde. Streaked in blues and pinks. Black has always been his favorite, something about it makes him look softer, gentler. He knows he could reach out and touch – it would not be anything new for them. But it wouldn’t mean what he wants it to mean.

“Beomgyu, you packed what I asked for, right?” Yeonjun asks, popping a donut in his mouth.

“Of course I did.”

Taehyun eyes them carefully. “What are you talking about.”

“Since Bin here said we couldn’t bring more than one suitcase because, you know, space and all that – me and Beomgyu already planned our outfits and we needed stuff from each other’s closets, so,” he says like that’s something to be proud of. Beomgyu nods and high-fives him. Soobin sighs in tandem with Taehyun and Kai giggles.

“Okay, let’s get back on track – we have to go pick up the van at 8 AM. Did you check the weather, Soobin hyung?”

“No chance of rain tomorrow, thankfully,” Soobin tells him, eyes set on his phone screen. “We can make it to Gwangju tomorrow if we want to, I think.”

Yeonjun grabs the entire chicken bowl and places it by his side. “Hey, the point is to relax. Let’s take our time, yeah?”

The movie’s been forgotten a long time ago – it doesn’t really matter, not with Kai talking about his classes and sharing the latest campus gossip, Taehyun occasionally acting the scenes out with him, Yeonjun staring at Taehyun's hands for longer than necessary and Beomgyu struggling to not fall asleep right then and there. Their company is a homecoming; its well-worn sweaters that smell just like you thought they would, a cup of hot chocolate offered to you at the exact temperature you can drink it.

“Hyung’s falling asleep,” Kai notes, poking Beomgyu’s cheek. “You should really go rest if you’re this tired, hyung.”

“I’m fine,” he answers with a barely-covered yawn. Soobin shares a look with Kai and Taehyun snorts. “Soobin hyung, please vouch for me. Tell them I’m fine.”

“No you’re not. Let’s go,” Soobin says, offering him a hand. Taehyun tells him to sleep in his room and Beomgyu nods, his eyes already closed and hand blindly reaching for Soobin’s, knowing he’ll be there to take it.

Taehyun’s room is tidy and compact; everything is in its place, movie posters decorate most of the walls along with pictures from travels with his family, laptop closed and books organized on his desk in alphabetical order, color coded post-its on a small blackboard reminding him of everything he needs to do: from groceries to calls to homework. The bed’s single, yellow comforter neat on every corner. Beomgyu flops down on top of the covers and sighs, stretching his arms above his head for a moment before the harsh lines of his body become softer. He turns to the side, finds Soobin’s eyes as easy as breathing, hand on his wrist just before he’s leaving.

“Stay for a bit?”

There’s a difference, Soobin thinks, when he asks. He doesn’t want anything more than a simple touch, while he’d like to ask for more – heart under Beomgyu’s palm, feelings on his sleeve, folded as many times as possible to be kept small. He tries to come up with any reason to say no to him, comes up empty handed and lowers himself onto the bed.

The weather is cool for a summer night, so he pulls the sheets over them and lets himself sink into the mattress, Beomgyu’s shape a shadow underneath, a tentative distance away.

“You didn’t forget anything, hyung?” Beomgyu asks just to fill the silence. He mentally counts whatever’s on his suitcase, change of clothes and money, incomplete souvenir list and a bare bones first aid kit. Beomgyu’s slowly moving towards him as if not to spook him; his eyes clear with intent. Soobin rolls his eyes, wills the corners of his mouth to not pull up in a smile, and nods.

He wraps his arms around Soobin’s waist loosely and brings them close together, head tucked under Soobin’s clavicle, Beomgyu’s hair tickling his chin. Soobin lets his nose burrow on his hair and nuzzles it, lighting-quick, making him breathe out a brief, stuttering laugh.

“I don’t think so. My souvenir list isn’t done though. If I don’t type it all I’ll forget,” he hums. “Do _you_ have everything?”

Beomgyu sighs and his voice lowers a pitch. He’s falling asleep and his lips ghosts just over Soobin’s pulse point. He closes his eyes as he listens to Beomgyu talk. “Yes. Clothes, hyung’s clothes, my toothbrush, sunscreen…”

If Soobin wanted to, he could get lost in the noises outside – slow traffic, barely-there music from a neighbor, muffled laughter from the living room. It’s quiet. The cadence of Beomgyu’s voice is comforting; its low-sleep laded tones coiling around him, making his breathing slow down.

He doesn’t remember dozing off; he’s awake and listening to Beomgyu mumble something about strawberries and then, without any notice, he’s already fallen asleep.

The ride to Gongju is smooth. Getting out of Seoul doesn’t take too long – rush hour is over by the time they’re all packed and ready to go. Yeonjun’s always liked to drive and he volunteers for the first shift with no hesitation. Kai lies sprawled on the last seat, playing with his Switch and Taehyun sits by Yeonjun’s side and doesn’t let either Soobin nor Beomgyu be in charge of the music, he says their taste is too similar: indie love songs and sad ballads, nothing they want to listen right now.

“I can’t believe we’ve been done dirty like this,” is all Beomgyu has to say. Soobin scoffs in Taehyun’s direction and hands Beomgyu one of his ear buds. Soo Soobin’s _I’ll Be Your Star_ begins to play and he gets an all-teeth smile, single dimple in sight. “I really love this song!”

“I know you do.”

Softly, they sing together.

It’s not a long drive – one hour and a few more minutes and they’re parked close to Gongsanseong Fortress. There are some shops nearby: souvenirs and rooftop cafés, restaurants and small bookstores here and there. The sky above them is baby, baby blue and filled with slow-moving clouds, the air starting to get more and more humid, sticking to his skin like drying honey would.

“Chestnuts are staple food here,” Taehyun says just as he gets out of the passenger seat and stretches, sighs in relief. “We should get something to eat before going in.”

“Chestnuts,” Soobin repeats, looking directly at Beomgyu who scowls at him in return. Kai snickers and together, they say “Remember when you –”

“Shut up, rabbit. You shouldn’t say anything either, unicorn. Let’s just go.”

They go into the first café Taehyun reads the reviews for; large crystal doors making the place glow with sunlight from the inside, snow-white walls covered in children’s drawings and pictures of flowers, soft pop humming from the speakers, low enough for whispering to be possible. Their table is spacious enough for all of them, no knocking elbows or knees together.

“Anything in particular looks good?” Beomgyu asks, peaking at Soobin’s menu, leaning on his shoulder for mere seconds before backing away.

“Taehyun-ah, they have blueberry latte –”

“Ah, hyung. I don’t really like it anymore. It’s too sweet for me now,” Taehyun says, wrinkling his nose. He passes Yeonjun the menu and adds, “I want an iced cappuccino.”

Soobin blinks at him for a second too long – Beomgyu’s fingers drum on his hand, a constant _tap tap tap_ bringing him back, and Kai’s eyes are on him, watching him curiously.

“Chilled green tea is fine for me,” he says and passes the menu.

“We already checked it, hyung,” Kai says carefully. Taehyun signals for the waiter to get their orders and Yeonjun’s checking his phone for any updates on his thesis.

The sun’s moved from its previous place in the sky, a token of time passing by. The Fortress is encompassing, beautiful in a way history is; unashamed of its earned edges and cracks, embracing them as what makes it special. The views from the peak of each mountain is worth the hike, buildings and bridges spreading underneath and the vast sky almost swallowing them, orange, green, yellow and brown canopies together on the park’s landscape. The pathways between each peak are open and large with nowhere to hide from the sun beating on the nape of his neck.

“We could’ve just come in the evening. The entry is free by then, and sometimes there are fireworks,” Taehyun says, phone in hand and pointed towards Yeonjun, who’s sitting between bushes filled with pink flowers.

“Why didn’t you say so before?” Kai asks, a few meters behind him. Beomgyu walks even further behind, taking pictures of every flower he comes across. He’s probably sending them to his family, with some cute caption like _one step closer to you now!_

Kai makes his way to him, perches his chin on Soobin’s shoulder and his arms around his waist, noticing his screen – him and Beomgyu, heads bent towards each other, a few strands of hair connecting them, faces illuminated only by elusive yellow and muted red lights around them, making them look warm and mellow.

“That’s a pretty picture, hyung.” Kai says. “You never said how the festival was. Did you like it?”

The parade has been beautiful for as long as he’s attended it and it was no different this time – the crowd danced around them and all the different lanterns illuminated every nook and cranny of Gyeonji-dong, shared _bungeoppang_ and _hotteok_ between the street food stands. Soobin likes to think of Beomgyu’s hand in his to not lose each other in the crowd, his smile as he points towards the Dragon and a tinkling bell lost in the horde of people, close to his ear and following him for the rest of the night.

“It was fun,” he says. “Would’ve been better if you were there.”

“I know,” Kai says like it’s obvious, and maybe it is. “But you’re always happy with Beomgyu hyung. It’s cute.”

Soobin nudges his ribs, shoots him a smile. “I’m happy when I’m with you too.”

“It’s different with him,” Kai says, soft. Soobin tenses up for a second. “Taehyunnie didn’t tell me – I just sort of knew.”

“Do you think he – ”

“I don’t know,” he replies. “But he’d still love you, hyung. You should tell him.”

“Why me?”

“You know how he feels about that.”

_The possibility of your crush liking you back is slim_ ; he hears Beomgyu’s voice in his head, 18 and recently moved into their dorm. The person Soobin never expected to talk to more than a few times, their differences stark to anyone who’s looked at them for 5 minutes. He thinks back to their first late night conversations, two boys finding their even footing in a strange, new place, filled with expectations and pressure from every side. Beomgyu’s _good morning_ and _did you sleep well?_ being his only constant for weeks. He remembers bright eyes in the dark, slight shoulders and a voice that refused to shake, laying himself bare. _That’s why I keep my feelings to myself most times, hyung_.

If the possibility of your crush liking you back is slim, he wonders, what would be the possibility of the person you’re in love with loving you back?

“I’ll think about it,” he concedes without really meaning it. “Let’s get going before we lose track of them.”

Kai hums, pats his stomach. He lets Soobin go and yells, “Hyung! Come on, don’t lag so far behind.”

Beomgyu stands up from where he’s kneeling in front of a flower bush, snaps one last shot before making his way to Soobin. Kai’s already joined Yeonjun on his picture, pink flowers all around them and Taehyun asking them to not make silly faces and just smile.

“That’s unfair,” Beomgyu says and points towards something ahead of them. “Let’s take our own picture. Those bushes over there are pretty.”

Soobin takes their pictures. They do look pretty.

It’s early in the afternoon by the time they’re done with the hike and lunch is a loud affair; they can’t stop talking about every little thing they saw that one of them didn’t – sharing every part of the fort for a full picture, all pieced together by them.

“Where are we going now?” Yeonjun asks just as the waiter sets the bill on their table.

“We could check in the hotel _or_ ,” Kai grins, “We could continue the tour.”

“Let’s take advantage of the weather now,” Taehyun says. “No foreseeable rain.”

Yeonjun nods and off they go; Beomgyu drives as the city disappears behind them and the mountains make their presence known in the forefront.

Magoksa Temple sits on Taehwasan’s eastern slope; a beautiful reward for an easy hike. They listen intently to the guide, her dreamy voice talking about the temple as a safe space, declared sacred on its birth and consequentially filled with treasures. A time capsule, keeping only the most precious cultural artifacts, ready to be admired for the rest of their time. They weave through the padogas in awe, entranced by divinity. There’s a river nearby, jagged rocks visible on the shallow and they sit close to it, taking in the sights and marveling at the beauty of it.

The walk back to the base of the mountain makes his thighs burn, the strain of the day already wearing him down, his body letting him know it’s time to rest.

Taehyun drives them back to the city and Soobin can hear him talking softly to Yeonjun for the entire way back. Beomgyu’s already asleep in the first seat; his body forming a half-moon, making him look small. He lets himself look at him again, eyelashes stark against his cheeks, the pretty bow of his lips and his slow, even breathing until his eyes begin to flutter open and he looks away.

He watches the sky, then. From deep orange to darkening blue, the last vestiges of the evening sky disappear faster than expected. He rests his forehead on the window for a moment, closes his eyes and breathes in, out. Fingers dance on his knee and he opens his eyes; Kai is looking at him, light frown on his face. Soobin manages to smile at him but it’s brittle, not fully there and his frown deepens.

“I’m just tired, Kai-yah,” he mumbles. It’s not a lie. He can tell Kai doesn’t believe him and Soobin knows he won’t ask yet.

The hotel they find themselves has a comfortable atmosphere – in the edges of downtown and without too much noise around the neighborhood, cream-colored walls filled with family pictures instead of paintings and light cinnamon incense in the air.

Rock, paper scissors decide their sleeping arrangements; Yeonjun will be sharing with him while Beomgyu, Taehyun and Kai will be sleeping in the larger room. The entirety of the day seems too big now; it doesn’t feel like they set out this morning, it’s like the day’s been stretched for far too long and he’s just noticed now how much his legs ache.

The room is plain – nothing special about it, nothing that stands out. White walls, white lights, two beds with a small table between them. He showers and tries to not fall asleep under the sprint of hot water; he’s out in less than 10 minutes, swaying on his feet and lets himself feel how tired he really is. Yeonjun gives him a look, a light push towards the bed and makes his way to the bathroom, not uttering a word.

Soobin’s head hits the pillow and he’s asleep in a second, the exhaustion knocking him down as easy as the wind ruffles his hair on a summer night.

It’s an early rise for next morning – the curtains are see through pale and the light takes advantage of it, prying Soobin’s eyelids open not a second after it makes its way in. He moves in slow motion, waking Yeonjun with a flick to his forehead and a shower-cold hand.

Breakfast starts at 7 AM and they’re not the only ones there; some families are equally bleary eyed, children’s laughter being the only constant sound buzzing around them. Soup, rice and meat are cluttered together on their table, their side dishes almost all empty. Soobin’s legs are cramped against Beomgyu’s, his knobby knees pressed against his thigh; he swats Beomgyu’s arms and gets a scowl in return, then Soobin steals some of his meat, almost choking at the unfiltered sadness of Beomgyu’s face.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Yeonjun says, making a show of cracking his knuckles and neck, sliding out of the booth in a single motion. The walk back to the elevator and floor is hazy, bathed in early-morning drowsiness.

“Please check the rooms thoroughly before we leave,” Taehyun reminds them as he swipes the card for his room. “We’re not here to lose things.”

“We’re here to have fun!” Kai beams and disappears behind Taehyun.

We’re here to make time for us, to have things to look back on. Soobin is here with them but he’s already thinking of this moment with a twang of nostalgia – something so small and seemingly inconsequential, he shouldn’t think about it too hard. And yet he can see it, five years from now, maybe even ten, standing somewhere completely different and far, far away from them, where they’re a memory and nothing else.

“Hyung,” Beomgyu says, hand loose around his wrist. “That’s not your room.”

“Sorry! Sorry, Beomgyu-yah. Go get your things, okay? I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Beomgyu gives him a brief look. “Remember to check under the bed, hyung. You never know where your things may end up,” and disappears behind his door.

“It’s going to rain today, so let’s make sure to carry our umbrellas,” Soobin mentions as soon as they’ve arrived in Gwangju. “70% chance, according to the report. We should take advantage of the sunlight and get to the park.”

“Maybe it won’t rain at all,” Kai muses, looking through the window. Bright blue sky cold to the eye, paralyzing if he stared at it for too long.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Kai-yah. Sometimes we just have to prepare for the worst.”

Gwangju Family Land wasn’t a planned stop – but here they are. The entrance is as colorful as any amusement park is; painted faces in pillars and a curly-haired sun say hello to them in the entrance, along with a robot-like paladin who’s proudly holding a sword. The music is loud and the people are too; parents calling for their screaming children, workers buzzing between machines and queues. The sky is cloud-white and bright, the air thick and sticky. The heavy smell of incoming rain isn’t there yet and the anticipation to enjoy the rides like a child builds itself up, up, until his feet are carrying towards the first attraction he sees.

He screams his lungs out on every rollercoaster, lets his legs dangle on the swing ride as the wind slaps him and he can feel his smile trying to break out of his face; eats stale and salty popcorn with Kai and drinks the worst soda he’s had in his life with Yeonjun.

Taehyun wins a fox plushie on the first game he plays; water gun shooting and hands it to Yeonjun, who tries and doesn’t win one back for him. Soobin pats his back and Beomgyu laughs at him while Kai encourages him to go for it again. Taehyun shakes his head and tells them to look up, look up.

It looks like it’s about to start raining anytime soon. The walk back to the minivan doesn’t take too long; they’ve almost completed the attraction circuit back to the entrance. In ten minutes they’re ready to go and as soon as they’re off, the clouds grow darker, menacing.

Beomgyu hasn’t been driving for fifteen minutes when it starts to rain – and then pours in all earnest. Kai reminds him to be mindful of the road and he chirps back a _sure thing, Kai-yah_ , letting go of the handle for a second.

Yeonjun looks up from his phone, smacks him from the passenger seat. “Focus on the road and be careful, you child.”

He’s sharing with Beomgyu this time around and the room is slightly nicer than the last one. A little bigger, with a view of the city, two beds and between them a small table with a lamp, a plant, a vintage clock and a landline to the reception desk. All neutral colors except for the few little plants here and there – two sit by the TV and two more by the balcony. The room smells like vanilla.

“You can shower first,” Soobin says, letting his suitcase on the bed by the window, looking at how the storm clouds are beginning to swirl together, pale and dark grey unrelenting above the city’s landscape.

“I’m good. But hyung, you should go,” Beomgyu tilts his head to the side so slight it’s nearly unnoticeable. His voice is quieter and he makes sure to stare directly into Soobin’s eyes, “You look exhausted, you know.”

Soobin smiles and knows it’s more of a grimace by the look on Beomgyu’s face. He gets his things from the suitcase and lets the bathroom door close quietly behind him.

By the time he’s out, Beomgyu’s curled on his bed, watching something on his phone intently. Without looking up, he says, “Hyung ordered some food. I told him you wanted galbitang,” he looks at Soobin now, eyes clear and open, hair a mess. There’s a sleep mark on his cheek. “Good for when you’re stressed, right?”

Always too caring, always noticing the little details.

He twists on the bed like a cat under the sunlight and makes his way to the bathroom sending Soobin one last quick, worried look his way before closing the door. Soobin hears shower opening and lets his body fall onto the bed, closing his eyes, breathing in and trying to empty his mind.

The sheets smell vaguely of lavender. The clock ticks away.

Beomgyu’s hair is still wet when he’s out of the shower, little water droplets clinging to it stubbornly. He looks younger like this, unguarded. Soobin wants to reach out, do something about it, but he won’t.

They eat together in their room – Kai came in after Beomgyu was done with his shower, mentioned how better it was than their own, let Yeonjun know and asked for their food to be brought there which they agreed to with no real reluctance. According to Taehyun, their room has a better view of the city, larger windows and a few prettier plants, much more alive than theirs. It rains for the entire afternoon, large drops rhythmically hitting the windows, a lullaby for tired travelers.

“Rain’s stopped,” Yeonjun mumbles, much later. The sky is white-grey, the sun invisible. His eyes are half closed and he’s leaning almost entirely on Beomgyu’s shoulder, back against the headboard of his bed.

“We’ll have to skip Mudeungsan Park,” Soobin yawns, stretching his legs. “But we can still go to the Daein Market, right?”

“According to Naver, it’s better if we go at night,” Kai reads from Taehyun’s phone screen, leaning on Taehyun’s shoulders. “And it’s not even that late.”

“Please remember that Yeonjun hyung is ancient and he needs a lot of downtime,” Soobin chides in, throwing a piece of candy at them from the other side of his bed. Taehyun catches it with his mouth and Kai pretends to be impressed.

“Today’s the worst day of my life,” Yeonjun says. Beomgyu pets his hair.

The drive to the market is short – rush hour has been over for hours and the streets are beginning to fill with the evening crowd. The market is a living, breathing thing: shopkeepers keep shifting between corners making it difficult to tell if it’s the first time he’s seen a stand and there’s a lot to see; vegetables and dried fish sit beside sculptures and drawings, flowers encased in crystal vases and party hats. The smell of food becomes more intense as they approach the center of the market.

Yeonjun tugs the hem of his shirt, points at a spot a few meters ahead and says, “Let’s stop over there.”

The store is called _Memories_. Old toys are set up on the display – small cars and boats with faded paint, the name of each one missing thanks to the passage of time, dolls missing one eye or with unmatched clothing along with rows and rows of old snacks by a wall filled with nothing but clocks.

“Good evening,” says the auntie at the desk, crow’s feet deep and smile wide. “Feel free to look around.”

They do. Soobin can hardly recognize anything, but some things look cute enough to be called souvenirs; vintage buttons with the name of the market and under it _GWANGJU 1990_ , VHS tapes marked in the same way, and photos from strangers with the dates on its back, memories trapped in a picture with no way back to their owners.

“Any reason you wanted to come here, hyung?”

“I’m getting all of you some presents,” Yeonjun replies, puffing his cheeks and looking between each toy aisle, picking up a colorful, small robot. “Do you think Kai will like this?”

Soobin raises an eyebrow. “Maybe. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, really. I want to do something for you. You all planned this for me, so let me do something in return.”

“You know you don’t have to, right? We’re enjoying this as much as you are.”

He waves a hand in dismissal. “I want to. Now, let’s see what to get for Beomgyu.”

By the time they’re done the crowd has lessened around the stalls and has grown around a small stage, close to the heart of the market. A woman steps in and thanks them for their presence, wishes them a good night and begins to sing. Her voice is low and soothing, accompanied by a guitarist Soobin can’t see. It’s a ballad, he can tell that at least. The people close to the stage begin to sway, enchanted by her voice. Some couples begin to dance, spinning together and smiling to themselves.

Arms surround his waist and he freezes for a moment. “We were _this_ close to thinking you left without us,” Kai says, chin on Soobin’s shoulder. He turns slightly and notices Beomgyu and Taehyun walking towards them, a bag on each hand.

“We could never leave you behind, Kai-yah,” Yeonjun says, ruffling his hair. Beomgyu asks Yeonjun to hold their bags and the second they’re off his hands, he asks Taehyun to dance with a hand extended towards him and bowing exaggeratedly. He rolls his eyes, grabs his hand with no hesitation and they begin to spin together.

The market’s well-illuminated, bright yellow lamps in every stall, shadows dancing between a few dark spots, blue neon store signs calling for customers and a few colored lights ahead, fuzzy points on his vision.

Beomgyu’s eyes reflect the lights as he twirls Taehyun and dramatically dips him, making Kai clap for them, his arms still around Soobin’s waist. He’s so pretty, from the way his cheeks curve up when he laughs, from head to toe. He’d think it would get better with time, but Soobin’s seen him barely awake and mumbling good mornings he won’t remember, red-faced from laughing until his stomach hurts and sickly pale from pulling all-nighters. It’s the same, a constant that won’t leave. Sparks traveling from his fingertips through his veins all the way back to his heart, making it overload, burst when he least expects it to.

Soobin wants to stay here for longer, with his friend’s laughter right on his ear and the person he might be in love with close enough for him to bask in his presence, melt at his own pace. It would be enough.

The song ends and they break apart, bow. Kai makes a beeline for Taehyun, clinging to him, and Yeonjun claps for them. She starts singing again and it’s something with more room for movement, faster and happier.

Beomgyu crowds him, then. “Do you want to dance with me?”

Soobin says yes. Beomgyu beams.

The melody’s faster but they sway at their own pace. Soobin’s hand on Beomgyu’s waist, Beomgyu’s on Soobin’s shoulder, the warmth of his fingertips seeping through and free hands clasped together. The space between them is a heavy rain cloud, close to bursting. There are so many things to be admired here but Soobin still just wants to look at him. The mole by his mouth is visible under his makeup still, tiny acne scars on his cheeks. His eyelashes are so long. If he leaned down –

Beomgyu looks up, bites his lip. “Can you move closer?”

“We’re already –”

He looks away. “Okay, okay. Forget it. Look over there, hyung.”

An older lady asks Yeonjun to dance with her and he doesn’t say no, spinning her to the music. Taehyun’s looking at him and Kai pinches Taehyun’s arm. Beomgyu follows the music still, swaying towards them and when they’re close enough, Beomgyu lets go. He misses his hands instantly. Still, Soobin gives Taehyun a light push towards Yeonjun and says, “Go dance with him, Taehyun-ah.”

Kai gives him another push and Taehyun nods. When he approaches, the auntie bows in thanks and leaves him with a smile. They start slower, off-beat and clumsy. Yeonjun looks almost shy – then Taehyun whispers something to him and he bursts out laughing. His steps are lighter, surer.

Beomgyu stays pressed to his side, his shoulder against Soobin’s. Kai twirls a little girl close by and he can hear him compliment her, her giggles music of its own.

The drive to the hotel is quiet, with Beomgyu's head on his shoulder and one of his hands playing with his fingers, tightening and letting go slowly. City lights dance around him, making him sunset-orange in the night, something to be admired, loved. Kai hums the song from the market and Soobin sings the tidbits of lyrics he remembers to himself.

Taehyun and Yeonjun are talking so quietly he might be imagining it – their voices are low, a tinge of sweetness to them. He hears a muffled laugh and smiles.

He ends up half-carrying Beomgyu to their room, wishing everyone good night with him hanging off his arm. Tiredness on him is his accent back on his tongue, sometimes slurring his words; furrowed eyebrows and loud yawns. He’ll forget anything he tells Soobin right now in the morning. Like _you’re so warm, please don’t leave_ and _next time_ _you should pull me closer_.

Soobin falls asleep to the beat of the rain starting up again, gentle instead of harsh, an expected change of the weather. Inevitable as the sunrise or the waves crashing the shore.

Beomgyu’s restless on their way to Daegu and Kai drives like he’s wired with his energy too, sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow; missing road signals and making them pay more in the toll. The minivan’s starting to smell like used hotel rooms and left-over snacks.

The distance between Gwangju and Daegu isn’t long by any means; it’s the most pleasant time they’ve had on the road this far. Easy traffic, loud music, no bumps on the road. Yeonjun’s sleeping with his phone on his neck. Soobin doesn’t question it.

The Choi family house is large – it sits on the outskirts of town, with a pretty front yard filled with flowers and a large tree with a tire swing. Beomgyu tells them it’s a maple tree, mentions how beautiful it looks in autumn, how many times he scraped his knees trying to jump from the highest point the swing could reach and land on his feet.

As soon as they park, he jumps out of the minivan and runs straight to the door, knocking as fast as he’s able to. His parents are there not a minute later, hugging him and kissing his cheeks. Happy is always a good look on him. The rest of them take their time, stretching and blinking the afternoon sun out of their eyes. In no more than 5 minutes he’s walking their parents towards them, excitement in his posture clear as summer sky.

“Dad! Mom! These are the friends I’ve talked to you about for so long!” he beams at them.

When Soobin introduces himself, Beomgyu’s parents look at each other for a flash. His dad shakes his hand more vigorously and his mom says, “We’ve heard a lot about you. Gyu-yah, you were right, his face is really –”

“Mom! What are you talking about? Please don’t mind that, hyung,” he gives Soobin a nervous smile and squeezes his mom’s shoulder. She smiles at him like he’s a fool.

Beomgyu takes them directly to his room; he barely manages a glimpse of the living room and the kitchen – open and airy, pictures hanging on the walls, plants adorning corners and their leaves drawing patterns on the floor when the sunlight goes through them. His room is big enough for them to set all of their suitcases in there. A large window lets daylight seep in and bathes his bed in blinding yellow; Soobin can tell now how he used to always be the earliest to wake up. A small, beige couch has his guitar propped against it and in front it’s his desk; the gaming PC he’s been building remains incomplete, but it still looks pretty with all the greenery around it.

“Beomgyu-yah, you wanna marry me?”

“Yeonjun hyung, I’d be honored to,” he puts both hands on his heart and stands on his tip-toes, dreamy look on his face. “But I know your heart belongs to another.”

Yeonjun nods sadly. “That’s true. I’m sorry I can’t be your man, Gyu-yah.”

On his bedside table is a vase filled with flowers: hydrangeas, peonies and his favorite, lavender. Sheets of music are stacked on top of each other along with some physical CD’s – SZA, Tom Misch, Baek Yerin. Framed close to the flowers is one of the first pictures him and Beomgyu took together – his blonde hair isn’t toned correctly, still too bright and the way it’s styled makes it look too round. Soobin thinks his own eyes looked too fond, even back then. Sometimes he thinks it was unavoidable: him, here, feelings drawn in the lines of his palm, palpable to anyone who’d hold them for long enough.

“Gyu, you said our Polaroid was missing,” Soobin teases, stepping towards the desk and grabbing it. Beomgyu freezes for a second, pretends to accommodate their belongings around his room. Taehyun is giving him a flat look, Yeonjun is laughing behind his hand. Kai’s sprawled on Beomgyu’s bed, seemingly ignoring the conversation entirely.

Soobin points at the photo, raises his eyebrows. “Beomgyu-yah, what’s this?”

“It _was_ missing! But I found it here and I forgot to bring it back with me, so –”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

Taehyun nods. “It really doesn’t. Don’t even try, hyung.”

He says _try to what_ just as Soobin lies down by Kai’s side. The bed is comfortable, soft. Kai cracks one eye open when he feels the bed dip.

“Hey, hyung,” he whispers, tone serious. Soobin knows what’s coming before it’s said. “Are you okay? You’ve been kind of... spaced out.”

“Don’t worry about me, Kai-yah. Everything is fine,” he coos and pinches his cheek lightly, leaving behind a little red mark.

His smile is cracked at the edges; hesitant. “Okay. If you say so.”

He breathes out, lets it go. Soobin closes his eyes and sinks into the little bubble between them for longer.

The next thing he knows is a hand on his hair as he turns sideways. It's Beomgyu's, absentmindedly playing with Soobin’s hair, his eyes dancing between glancing at the garden and looking at Soobin. The thing about being home after a long time, he thinks, it's the recalibration, noticing how different things are without you, taking them in as drips of honey instead of drops of lemon.

“Do you want to go out later? We can rest for a while,” Yeonjun says with a glance towards the bed.

“It wasn’t a long drive,” Kai says without missing a beat, half-sitting on the bed. “We can go out later, yeah.”

“The weather is fine, right? Hyung?”

“50% chance of rain. Not even meteorologists know.”

“We can always just stay in, can’t we? Relax today, check the city tomorrow.”

“It’s not a bad plan,” Yeonjun concedes, head moving from side to side, as if weighing the thought. “I don’t see why not.”

Beomgyu begins to talk about everything he wants to do with them again, like they don’t have it already memorized – movies, eating as much as humanly possible, visit some of his old hang-out places from school, talk to his parrot Toto until he can answer back to any of them.

The little parrot has his own soundproof birdhouse, set on the front porch during the day so he can sunbathe, or so Beomgyu tells them. Toto doesn’t leave the birdhouse until Kai calls him and it perches himself on his index finger for the 10 minutes they stay there, bopping his beak or ruffling his feathers. Toto manages to say _Taehyun_ and _Idiots_.

Taehyun nods somberly. “You’re the only one who gets it, Toto.”

After a light lunch, they discuss movies to watch back in Beomgyu’s room. It’s not 30 minutes before Yeonjun taps Soobin’s shoulder and motions with his head towards the door. Soobin gives him a confused look, follows him outside noticing Beomgyu’s eyes on him as they close the door.

“Hey, Soobin-ah, what do you think about buying fireworks?”

“Don’t we need an adult for that?”

Yeonjun gives him a flat look. “We’re adults.”

Ah. Right.

They talk to Beomgyu’s parents about their idea and get enthusiastic nods and smiles back, a full list of places they’ve bought fireworks from along with personal recommendations and a handful of money they denied for about 10 minutes before they took it, deciding to buy Beomgyu’s favorite snacks with it. He’s never not a picky eater.

Yeonjun insists on not telling them much about what they’ll do, giving them a small smile and a sit tight, hyungs will be back later!

The ride back into the city is peaceful, with Soobin on the driver seat and Yeonjun slumped on the passenger seat, eyes closed and hands knitted together in his lap. He sees Daegu in passing glances, stacked buildings and the occasional greenery around. Not that different from Seoul’s own downtown – less people, smaller streets, cozier-looking. It’s probably the people who keep him wanting to come back home. Cities can be breathtakingly beautiful but the warmth of familiar accents and well-known hands are nothing to be compared to them.

Yeonjun’s quiet for the whole ride, thoughtful in a way Soobin hasn’t seen many times before. He parks by a pretty looking building, careful to note the directions Beomgyu’s sent him to one of his favorite cafés. It looks like it’ll be a walk still, but he says _it’s totally worth it, hyung!_

“Let’s get something to drink, hyung. Then we’ll drive back.”

The coffee shop is built in a hanok – a cobblestone road between two lines of plants, South Korean flag full on display, bright yellow light showering the entrance opening into a courtyard and couches against the walls with small tables in the middle. It’s order first and sit later; there are so many nooks and crannies for privacy, they make a small game of picking somewhere to sit until Yeonjun finds a small alcove he has to bend completely to fit into; books are piled up on shelves, a small, black treasure chest holds up a sea-blue sewing machine, old newspaper clips on the cream colored walls. The table is short, and there are no chairs, only soft cushions. A tiny window lets the wind dance into the room, sweeping through Soobin’s hair.

It’s the least summer-like location he’s seen so far. He loves it. They set their drinks on the small table and sit cross-legged, letting the quiet mumble of conversation downstairs flood in, white noise of the road.

“I think I’ll tell Taehyun how I feel about him,” Yeonjun says without any preamble after a particularly long sip of his lemonade. He doesn’t look nervous – instead, it’s like he’s come to a realization, not pushed towards it but by hand-hold. Step by step, unhurried and gentle.

“So suddenly? What changed?”

“I was just thinking about, you know. Time and stuff,” he vaguely motions with his hands around them, some of his fingers shake. “I don’t want to look back and wonder what would’ve happened,” and he gives Soobin a curious look, as if saying, what about you?

He places a hand on his thigh, willing his leg to stop shaking. “Good luck then. I hope it turns out well.”

When they return to the house, the first thing they hear is Taehyun’s singing from somewhere deeper within. Beomgyu’s parents made themselves scarce; there’s no other noise anywhere else. Yeonjun finds them in one of the rooms in the back – it’s a studio, one he didn’t have time to notice earlier. It’s spacious, French windows let the pale skyline seep in as well as giving the room a view of the backyard garden – a few trees, flowers and what looks like some vegetables and a cozy-looking porch.

A piano sits in the middle of the room, black and well-kept. By its side is a couch, comfortable looking and big enough to hold four people comfortably. The walls are filled with posters and pictures from recitals, years marked on each picture; 2010, 2012, 2015. Beomgyu at 10, 12 and 15. From crooked smiles to blinding ones, in just a few years. Soobin wonders how he’ll look in 5, 10 years from now, if he could still find him the same boy he knows today, who is soft spring rain and blooming smiles in an older face.

Only one way to find out, he supposes.

Beomgyu’s sitting on the couch, guitar in his lap, slightly swaying and eyes closed, listening to Kai play the piano. It’s something familiar, but he can’t put his finger on what it is. Taehyun sits by Kai’s side, his back to them.

“It sounds really good,” Yeonjun says under his breath and it’s lost in the music. His eyes find Taehyun first, like they always seem to do these days. He walks into the room properly and declares, “Being artistic without me is a crime. What are you up to?”

“Kai said he wanted to play today, so I showed him the studio,” Beomgyu says, looking up from the strings and to them. “What did you think of the city?”

“I couldn’t understand a single thing that was said to me today. I miss Seoul,” Yeonjun says, flopping down on the couch.

Beomgyu rolls his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Thank you, hyung. I love you.”

“No place like home,” Soobin says, sitting on his other side. Beomgyu gives him a small smile. “I want to see more of it.”

Kai asks about what they did, letting his fingers glide across the keys without letting his eyes stray from them; Yeonjun gives him a look that says _nice try_. When Taehyun asks, he looks like he’s physically restraining himself from telling him, mouth set in a firm line.

“We bought fireworks for later, it’s no big deal,” Soobin shrugs.

Yeonjun groans and slides off the couch. “Way to ruin the surprise.”

They play a few more songs, singing along with Taehyun’s voice as a guide until the sky turns dark, dark blue. Dinner is loud, bowls and glasses rattling from being set on the outside table too hard to Yeonjun yelling about how much food there is, to Taehyun’s stern lecture on firework safety.

Yeonjun doesn’t let anyone touch the ramen, insisting on preparing it by himself while Taehyun and Kai busy themselves with the meat and Soobin along with Beomgyu carry the drinks and the side-dishes to the porch’s table.

They talk about things they haven’t discussed yet – Yeonjun tells them about his thoughts on his enlistment with Taehyun’s eyes never leaving his face, Kai opens up about the pressure his family is putting on him to leave Korea, Taehyun’s concerns about law school through shifty glances, like it hurts to admit it loud that this might not be what he really wants and Beomgyu tells them about the companies he’s been emailing for internships, none which have given him any positive answer.

The weather is kind, wind soft and fresh. They’re squished together comfortably, shoulders sometimes knocking together to get to a piece of pork. It feels good; a comfort that build itself with time, shared pains and unstrained laughter, late-night conversations and early morning breakfast runs with barely any money in their pockets.

Yeonjun stretches, yawns. “Let’s light up the fireworks.”

“Tired, hyung?” Taehyun asks, poking his side.

He nods. “Thinking is hard work, Taehyun-ah. I did a lot of that today.”

Soobin sets them in the middle of the backyard where no tree branches can get in the way, Beomgyu turns all the lights off and Yeonjun lights them up, running to Taehyun’s side as soon as the fuse begins to burn.

The fireworks are a sight to behold – even if the explosions make him close his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again he feels giddiness rising within him; like he’s the one being set alight in the night sky, scattered with the stars for a second and fading out not a blink later.

Taehyun’s wearing one of Yeonjun’s sweaters, his arms crossed and mouth gaping slightly at the lights; Kai has an arm wrapped around Yeonjun’s waist, their heads angled towards each other’s and their eyes on the sky.

Beomgyu’s neck is craned all the way up, exposed and delicate; eyes never straying from the sky even at the booming noises, unflinching. He looks away from the lights and finds Soobin’s eyes, points at the sky as if he didn’t already know what was happening and gives him a smile. Oranges and yellows explode behind him, marking his silhouette in a second, making him disappear in the next.

They shout after it’s over, arms reaching toward the sky as if asking for more pretty lights, one more time. It's not long after that Yeonjun says goodnight and Kai follows after him. Beomgyu shoos Taehyun away not soon after and then it's just the two of them finishing the cleanup in the backyard. There's almost no wind by now and the ringing in his ears from the fireworks is gone.

“Today was fun,” Soobin says. His hands are full of dishes and glasses; Beomgyu’s picking up leftovers, packing everything neatly. “I can see why you wanted to come here with us so badly.”

He smiles and it’s soft, small. “I knew we’d have a good time here.”

Everything's piled together in the sink and they finish tidying up the backyard, the kitchen. The heat isn't too bad - only enough for it to prickle his skin, not entirely uncomfortable, warm enough to not wear long sleeves. It'll get worse sooner rather than later though, and he’s never been a big fan of the hotter months. Cicadas buzz and it's faint enough to not be too bothersome; the sky is filled with dark, dark clouds making the clear patches of stars much brighter than usual. If anything, it's a pleasant night.

Soobin’s sliding the doors to the backyard close when Beomgyu says from behind the counter, “I’m doing the dishes now. You should keep me company.”

“I’ll help instead,” Soobin replies. “It’ll be faster that way.”

The sound of the water is soothing and they drop into a steady workflow, murmuring soft nothings as conversation. It’s easy to fall onto their usual patterns around the others, matching outfits they’ve been wearing comfortably for a long time now. But when it’s the two of them it slips between their fingers like silk, leaving them exposed. It’s always comforting to be alone with him, like time’s being suspended for the two of them, just for a bit longer. Past the usual teasing and pokes, Beomgyu’s fondness for Soobin always finds a way to glow, only a sparkler in the distance until he’s close to it and it’s all he can see, all he wants to see.

“You know, hyung told me he’s thinking about confessing,” he mentions, voice low. Beomgyu hums, passes Soobin a bowl and flickers some water on his shirt. His eyes sparkle, satisfaction undeniable. Soobin hip checks him and he flicks more water at him. He’s wearing the so-called Soobin smile.

“That’s good, really. Taehyunnie’s too in his head to consider it.”

“It’s a little off for him, right?”

“I don’t think so. He wants to be careful with hyung and besides, things won’t be the same. They'll be at different points of their lives really soon. Of course he has doubts.”

“Beomgyu-yah, even if his feelings weren’t required, he’d be kind about it. You know that, right?”

“Still. I get how he feels,” Beomgyu says, passing him another bowl, finding his eyes. “Don’t you?”

He looks away, counting colors reflected in the soap bubbles instead of facing Beomgyu’s eyes. Pink, gold, blue. The bubble pops. “I guess I do.”

They finish up in silence, with only the company of the water rushing down the sink and the night’s atmosphere enveloping them in something that’s too fragile to be broken. Their footsteps are a whisper in the still-silent house.

“Sleep well, hyung,” he says from his door, voice midnight soft, and blows him a silent kiss. Soobin catches it, presses it to his cheek and Beomgyu laughs, covering his mouth with a hand, too quiet to be heard. He closes his door so quietly it’s almost like he didn’t at all.

In Soobin’s room, Taehyun is fast asleep, curled into himself like a shrimp. The walls are bright white, bed between two wooden tables with twin lamps on them and flowers beginning to wilt on a vase. He thinks there’s some noise from Kai and Yeonjun’s shared room, but it might be his sleep-addled mind speaking. He falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. In his dreams, there’s a kiss on the corner of his mouth and a voice saying _you know I love you, right?_

Early morning brings him a terrible breath and puffy eyelids. Taehyun’s still sleeping, completely cocooned between the blankets and he doesn’t wake him up; instead gets ready as quietly as he can to let him sleep for a little longer.

Soobin sees Beomgyu in the garden by the time he’s made his way to the living room, kneeling in front of what he saw last night was a flower patch with both of his parents by his side. His mom notices Soobin first, touching Beomgyu’s shoulder and making a motion with her hand towards him. Beomgyu turns and waves at him, a brilliant smile at the ready. He mouths _good morning_ and Soobin mouths it back.

They trickle into the living room one by one: Yeonjun still half-asleep, Taehyun clear eyed and Kai practically dragging his feet. Beomgyu walks in, dirt-stained jeans and bright eyes and plops himself onto the couch, right between Taehyun and Kai.

His parents close the French doors behind them, holding a small basket with freshly picked flowers and some vegetables.

His mother says, “Good morning, boys. I hope you had a good time last night and today as well.”

“Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for letting us be here,” Yeonjun tells her and they all bow in different speeds, mismatched yet the same.

“Nonsense! Yesterday we went to see some of our friends too,” her eyes sparkle and Soobin recognizes Beomgyu’s brand of mischief in her instantly. “I missed them. You gave us an excuse to see them, really. Thank you.”

They have some tea and make small talk, not taking more than 15 minutes until they’re out and Taehyun’s driving them to Duryu Park. Close-by they buy breakfast pastries and in the park, they walk until Taehyun points to the perfect spot for having their meal. Laying in the grass, under the trees, basking in the slits of sunlight filtering through the branches. There’s not much of a crowd; footsteps and low tones of conversation are heard sparingly; only when Soobin’s really trying to listen can he actually make out some words.

Beomgyu’s eyes are closed, a slight smile on his face. He’s always thought of him as pretty, but it’s nothing like looking at him now – in his hometown, under his own sky. It’s not butterflies he feels in his stomach, it’s something else, incessant and ceaseless. Little hummingbirds and woodpeckers drumming on his ribcage, looking for a way out. He shuts the trapdoor down and looks away, focusing on the flowers instead, the still-felt dew on the grass under his hands.

“Weather forecast, hyung,” Kai asks when the sky begins to darken, a hand on his face. His voice isn’t quite there yet; as if he’s still sleeping, dreaming.

“45% of rain,” Soobin says without looking at his phone. He keeps checking it every hour, waiting for it to change. It feels like a routine already. Wake up, check the weather and let everyone know how the day is supposed to go, wait to be surprised or proved right.

It’s right most of the time. Weather isn’t difficult to predict, no mystery about it at all.

The 83 Tower is close and up there is the best view of the city – nothing he’s seen before can compare to it; with Daegu unfolding underneath him he’s small and endless at the same time, a speck of dust on the wind, caught only between fleeting moments of awareness.

“At night, it’s even better,” Beomgyu whispers by his side. Yeonjun’s taking a picture with Taehyun and Kai’s behind them, making them look like there are horns on their heads.

“We should do this again then,” Soobin says, turning to look at him. Sunlight bathes him and makes his eyes amber, barely-there gold specks on them.

Beomgyu pursues his lips and tip toes to Soobin’s ear like he wants to tell him a secret, lips almost brushing his ear. “But just you and me. They don’t seem to be appreciating the view that much.”

His palms itch. “Yeah, sure. Just the two of us in the future, then.”

Lunch’s galbi-jjim with Beomgyu’s insistence, something about it being _created in Daegu! We have to eat it together!_ He takes them to a small, dingy-looking restaurant with an owner who knows him, her face brightening up at his arrival just like his.

It’s delicious, in the end. She tells them stories about Beomgyu in high school, from coming to the restaurant in tears about exams to bringing his first girlfriend there on dates. He groans, hides his face in Soobin’s shoulder and asks her to save him some embarrassment.

“Peak romance right there, BG,” Yeonjun says, shooting Soobin a look, chin in hand. “Wondering if anything’s changed by now.”

It’s a long walk to the Kim Kwang-Seok Road, but it’s worth it still; every wall is filled with murals with the only common theme being music, guitarists and violinists performing on a few corners here and there. He can see how Beomgyu’s love for music was born here, growing steadily, blooming with time and care.

They take a picture sitting on a guitar-shaped bench, an orchestra painted behind them.

It’s to the Suseongmot Lake then, as Beomgyu points out to them some of the places he used to hang out with a few friends or just to take a breather, coffee shops and convenience stores and bakeries. The lake is deep blue with wisps of orange in the sunset; city lights reflected on the surface, longer than his eyes can follow.

They stay for the lightshow, water rising to the sky in hundreds of multi-colored pieces; yellow and red and green, following the beat of the music. Gummy’s _You Are My Everything_ makes him sway in place just as the water dances and shifts.

The drive back to Beomgyu’s house is silent except for Yeonjun’s fingers drumming on the dashboard and staring at Taehyun from the corner of his eye. Dinner’s leftovers from yesterday’s food with peach soju, making Soobin feel like he could float, light and content for the moment.

They retire for the night after the dishes have been washed, the kitchen left spotless. He kisses Beomgyu’s cheek right before he disappears behind his bedroom’s door; a tiny act of defiance from the feelings trapped in the layers of his heart, seeping through, bursting in a small spark.

No one else sees. Beomgyu chokes out a _good night, hyung_ and closes the door. Soobin sighs, gets to his room.

That’s what you get, he tells himself. That’s what you get for wanting.

Soobin turns the lights off and climbs into bed, phone in hand and ready to check his SNS, answering messages from his family and the few classmates who’ve contacted him for something or another. Taehyun begins to move towards him, close enough for Soobin to see from the corner of his eye how his hands are clenching and unclenching, the sheets dipping or rising accordingly.

“Hyung,” Taehyun says after a while, his voice low. “Do you think some things are meant to be?”

It isn’t the kind of question he’d expect from Taehyun, who’s always had his feet firmly rooted on well-kept soil and had no time for wondering if things were meant to be or not; for him the chase of a goal is like breathing, no matter how difficult the road may seem he’d get to it and say this is what I was born to do. It’s something that sounds like it’d come from Beomgyu when he’s thinking out loud; wondering about the _what ifs_ and losing himself in the possibilities.

“I think you decide your own fate most of the time,” Soobin answers carefully, his eyes not straying from Taehyun’s. The brightness of his phone screen makes Taehyun look almost ghostly. “Life can still surprise us sometimes, though. And some things, like you know, love and change are kind of unavoidable. Oh, death too.”

Taehyun grimaces, visible in the still-dark room. “Morbid. Thanks.”

“What’s up, Taehyun-ah? You’re not usually like this.”

“I don’t know, exactly. This is getting to me,” he frowns and looks away, somewhere behind Soobin’s ear. “It’s weird to think how we’re all going to graduate and really go out there –”

“I know.”

“I’m just scared,” he murmurs, quiet and firm. “I don’t want to lose you. Any of you.”

“Taehyun-ah. I’m scared too. But as long as we choose to make time for each other – we’ll be okay.”

“Do you really think so?”

He doesn’t. There’s so much more to consider; work hours and money and compromises piled together, snowballing until it’s all you can do for them is run. Finding space for people can be difficult, even when he doesn’t want it to be, when it shouldn’t be. He’s seen how his parents lost contact with their friends, how his older siblings struggle for friendships, their time shrinking on itself, only getting smaller and smaller.

He says, “I do.”

Taehyun’s posture relaxes and Soobin holds onto the tightness on his chest, not letting it leave, choking on it. “Thank you, hyung,” he murmurs just above the wind rattling the trees. Another stormy night.

Soobin hums in acknowledgement, Taehyun sighs and lets himself breathe, moving closer to Soobin and wrapping his arms around him, comfortable and safe. He falls asleep with Taehyun’s hair tickling his nose, dreamless.

They’re still driving through Daegu’s streets when Beomgyu whines, “Hyung, this driving playlist sucks.”

“Half of the songs here are stuff you’ve recommended to me. This is actually your music taste, just so you know.”

“I know for a fact it’s not. I’d never willingly listen to _offonoff_.”

Before he can retort he catches Kai whispers something in Yeonjun's ear from the rear mirror. Yeonjun sighs and says, “Beomgyu-yah, Soobin-ah. Please shut up.”

The road to Busan is equally pretty in its sameness, trees blur by and sometimes Beomgyu points at a sign or at something that calls for his attention; a cloud that looks like a tiger, a particularly looming tree, its branches stretched over the road in a strangely menacing curve, painting the road in shadows and people asking for rides, imagining their stories, calling it inspiration for his songs.

Soobin calls his cloud-shape guessing game childish and tells him it looks like a butterfly instead of a tiger, agrees with the tree being entirely too daunting and snickers at his guesses about people's lives, adding his own comments about the likelihood of tattooing the name of their first love on the inside of their wrist.

They run out of gas in between Cheongdo and Miryang, not an hour into the road yet.

“Didn't you check the tank, hyung?”

“I did,” he frowns, checking again. “I don't know what happened. It wasn’t like this earlier and I checked twice.”

Taehyun frowns and Kai gives him a weird look, making motions towards Soobin and then shaking his head repeatedly that has Taehyun looking curious more than anything else but before he can ask exactly what Kai means, Yeonjun waves it off. “We can fix it, it's fine. There's a gas station a few miles ahead,” he says waving his phone in front of them. “I was checking the road before I lost service, thankfully.”

He motions for Taehyun to go with him and he follows, disappearing on the next curve.

The sun's still not too bad; remains of morning fog still floating in the air. Summer, he thinks, is nothing like he expected it to be – nothing like in the movies. It's more pearl-white skies and heavy, sticky heat, storms in the making instead of clear blue skies at the ready.

Kai’s playing with his switch, sprawled on the seats. Beomgyu's fingers dance on the dashboard until he huffs and steps outside. Soobin watches him walk until he's on the grassy side of the road, between a few trees. He looks around and then he…lies down, limbs stretched like a starfish.

Soobin blinks. He taps Kai’s knee and tilts his chin towards a roadside window. “Look.”

Kai looks away from the game for a second, looks up and snorts. “You should go get him, hyung.”

Soobin rolls his eyes and steps outside. He's at least picked somewhere where no sunlight reaches him through the branches - it's a little cooler, even. He's picking the grass absentmindedly, brows furrowed and mouth set on a pout, eyes on the bright white sky. Soobin kicks his knee lightly, more a push than anything else.

“Why are you here, Gyu?”

He looks away from the sky, to Soobin’s face. His hair curls around his forehead. Pretty, pretty. “Wanted to check this for a second. Might as well, right?”

“This isn't the only time you’ll be coming to Busan,” he retorts and crosses his arms, even if he’s not sure. “Or the only road trip you're ever going to go.”

“Still wanted to,” he points somewhere behind Soobin. Barely noticeable, there’s a flower patch made of whites and blues with sprinkled yellows. “Those flowers over there don't grow in Seoul. Did you know?”

“Really? No, I didn't know. Are you sure?”

Beomgyu nods. “They don't. I'm glad we found them.”

He takes his phone out to take a picture of them, dragging himself closer to the patch. Soobin stares at his wrists as he finishes up, turning around and showing him the results with a self-assured smile on his face.

Taehyun and Yeonjun are back in almost no time, only thirty minutes lost. Yeonjun tries to say something with his face to Soobin, communicating only with the ever-changing position of his eyebrows but it's no use. There's a twang of nervousness to his demeanor that wasn't there before when he talks. Soobin sneaks a glance at Taehyun and notices a flash of similarity.

It’s easy after filling the tank again. Soobin hums through every song on the playlist and lets Beomgyu sing, joining him between songs. The city comes into view not too long after; mountain tops and scattered buildings here and there before a tunnel swallows the van and the city seems to appear before their eyes like a magic trick.

“Want to go directly to the beach?” Soobin asks at the first red light.

“Yes,” Taehyun says. “It’s still early and it’s not going to rain, right?”

“No rain today. 15% chance, pretty unlikely,” he answers just as the light turns yellow.

“Okay. Let's go.”

Songjeong Beach is one of the least popular beaches yet it’s still filled with people; families running around and pop being played loudly from somewhere; the sun remains the same, not overbearing or rash. There’s no need to use his hand to cover his eyes to block the light’s intensity and the breeze is cool – he could fall asleep on the sand if he tried to. They find a place in one of the more desolate areas, rented umbrella ready and rooted under the sand in seconds, towels stretched under its shadow.

Beomgyu reminds everyone of sunscreen, applying too much on Kai’s face and too little on Yeonjun’s shoulders. As soon as they’re ready to go, they run to the sea, screaming bloody murder. Yeonjun does a cartwheel and looks back at them, his face filled with nothing but regret. The sand’s probably too hot. Taehyun lies down on one of the towels, gives Yeonjun a brief once-over and shuts his eyes.

Beomgyu takes a bit more time, stretching and letting the sunscreen sit on his skin. The sea breeze makes him feel at peace, lightheaded. He closes his eyes and breathes in, out. Clothes rustle and he cracks an eye open to be welcomed by skin. Beomgyu usually wears a sun-protective long-sleeve shirt, insisting that he burns too easily. Not today, it seems. Soobin gives himself a moment to look –patches of darker skin and there, twin moles on his wing bones.

“I didn’t know you had dimples on your back,” Soobin mentions off-handedly.

Beomgyu peeks at him from over his shoulder. A few spots of cream remain on his nose, splotches of white on gold. “We’re even then. Remember when you went back to school freckled?”

Two summers ago, his family decided to go to Jeju for two weeks. By the time he was back in the dorms at Soongsil, there were still traces of where the sun decided to leave her marks on him – speckles of pale gold and dark brown on the back of his shoulders and rising up to his collarbones, on the bridge of his nose and dotting his cheeks.

Beomgyu had taken a look at him, and looked away. Said something like _you look like a marigold_ and Soobin’d raised his eyebrows at it, said _what does that even mean?_

He’d gotten a particular look aimed at him; thoughtful, a step away from gentle. All he said was _it’s a compliment, hyung._

Beomgyu gives him a small smile and runs towards Kai and Yeonjun, mindless of anything else. Soobin watches him go until he’s waist-deep in the water and yells at the others to wait for him.

Taehyun’s foot makes contact with Soobin’s thigh and he gives Soobin a look that screams _you can’t be serious_. He pursues his lips and says instead, “I don’t want to go into the water yet. Let’s build sand castles.”

“We don’t have a building kit, Taehyun-ah.”

He shrugs. “It will still be fun.”

Building sand castles is still fun, after all. He tries his best to make it pretty, digging into the sand for seashells until he finds a few, adding them in circular patterns, close to each other.

Five circles.

He mentally chides himself for being cheesy, realizes he doesn't really care and turns towards their bags for his phone to take a picture of it. Taehyun gives him a knowing look, shakes his head, stands up and kicks his own sandcastle, laughing at Soobin's face and running to the sea.

He follows not too long after. The water is far too cold but the sea is calm and clear, no waves thrashing him back to the shore. He lets the water take over him, washing away the sand.

Before they’ve been too sun-burned they make their way to the hotel for a shower and a quick lunch in a close-by restaurant. Soobin barely has time to look at the rooms, but he can tell they’re much more spacious than the last two hotels were – during lunch, Beomgyu says it’s because _Busan is a real city, unlike Seoul_ and Taehyun rolls his eyes just as Yeonjun pinches Beomgyu’s ear and Kai takes a piece of meat from Soobin’s bowl.

Soobin shakes his head and in his snottiest voice says, “Children, behave.”

They all make faces at him. He makes a face back.

Beomgyu knocks their knees together and offers him a bite of his meat, which he stares at suspiciously until he finally eats it. It’s not his usual order, but it’s still good.

Kai insists on taking a walk around the block before moving on to their next location. They’re not downtown, not exactly, but the city’s still busy and bustling, making them walk not side-by-side but separated, in a straight line or like a connect-the-dots drawing; separated yet still visible to each other out of the corner of their eyes.

It’s an hour until they’re back on schedule. Taehyun's visibly excited about the Trick Eye Museum; he can’t help talking about it, blurting out tidbits of information about it here and there, sprinkled between conversations. Yeonjun’s giving him his full attention; eyes soft as Taehyun’s mouth moves faster than he can think.

Kai gives them a look, Soobin hides his smile behind a hand and nudges Beomgyu's arm, tilting his chin towards them. Beomgyu gives them a brief glance, hits his head with the palm of a hand, makes a face. Soobin laughs.

The never-ending string of pictures begins as soon as they step in. Taehyun on Spiderman's back, Yeonjun sitting on a teapot and fanning his face, Kai standing on a dragon’s mouth, Beomgyu in a jar, underwater and about to be eaten by a bird and all of them together around a splashing white whale, their faces scrunched up like they're in the presence of it, water splashed on their faces and hair dark-wet from the camera's lenses.

They look ridiculous in all of them.

When they get to the souvenir shop, Soobin’s all too aware of the lack of shopping he’s done so far. The store is cute at least, and it has many, many different kinds of accessories and things. He can get away with telling his family they were all bought in different cities and they wouldn’t be the wiser. Soobin walks around the shop one, two times.

He’s staring at a clock-shaped keychain and holding a few stickers when Beomgyu tugs on his sleeve. “Why do you look so worried? It’s just a gift shop.”

“I haven’t bought any souvenirs. And we’re a day away from being back in Seoul.”

Beomgyu keeps his hands on Soobin’s shirt, going for the hems this time. “I got some for you.”

“You did? When?”

“Back in Gwangju.”

“That was our second day on the road.”

“Yeah, I know. But you were… out of it. It wasn’t a good day for you, I mean. And I noticed. So I got you some stuff too.”

He doesn’t want to talk about being _out of it_. “I thought you were half asleep when I mentioned the list.”

“I remember the things you tell me,” he shrugs, ears turning a shade of red, soft pink on his cheeks that could be from the sun, earlier. “They’re in my suitcase. You can check them out later.”

“Thank you,” he says in earnest. “I’ll get some more here and pay you back.”

“You _really_ don’t have to do that.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Thank you, Beomgyu-yah.”

When he’s not looking, Soobin adds a bracelet to his small pile of knick-knacks. Thin and silver, pretty. He’ll give it to him on Christmas or something.

The last stop for the day is the Songdo Cable Cars.

“At sunset would be best,” Yeonjun had said when Soobin asked if he wanted to do something in particular at Busan, his mouth set in a strange, strange smile. “It'd be so pretty, don't you think?

It is. The sea is a vast, vast thing sleeping soundly under them. The cars are small, with a clear floor and it seems like a harsh wind could blow them away; a pendulum hanging from above, its balance a precarious thing. It’s the closest thing to flying he’s experienced. He sits between Taehyun and Beomgyu, with Kai and Yeonjun behind them, but the sight makes them stand up, want to get closer to the glass, touch the horizon.

Beomgyu’s holding Soobin's arm, head tilted towards him, leaning into his space, and mouth slightly open. He likes these things – pictures of the sky and sunsets, lights reflected in his eyes making him glow. Beomgyu shifts closer to him and the birdhouse on his chest rattles, makes itself smaller, suffocating. They’re not meant to be trapped but to be free; stretch their wings and sing, perch on a thorny vine, a branch or were he so lucky, a hand.

The ride to the hotel is a blur; tiredness clinging to him like humidity on bare skin; it’s worse than the past days combined – its weight has amplified, and he’s not sure as to why. He blinks away tears, doesn’t understand exactly the reason for them. His eyes have been hurting for a while. He suspects it’s the sunlight, the price of not missing a moment of the sunset.

The room is smaller than the one in Gwangju, two beds and a table, no TV or window. The walls are bright blue and adorned with shells set in different shapes. It’s close to the beach, even without windows the smell of salt is clear in the air. Yeonjun gives him a single glance and lets him have the shower first. He doesn’t say anything, just nods in thanks and tries to relax to no avail.

Dinner’s a small affair; he’s not too hungry, has had enough with soup and a few pieces of pork. There’s a heavy discomfort on the back of his throat, sharp and acid that doesn’t let him eat peacefully. Tomorrow’s the last day.

Kai keeps giving him concerned looks. Taehyun raises his eyebrows at him. Beomgyu pursues his lips and gives his wrist a squeeze.

They slip back into their rooms not soon after, atmosphere prickly around the edges. He checks his phone for any distraction and finds his mind wandering away, never paying any real attention to what he’s doing. Yeonjun keeps giving him odd looks that he ignores until he stops pretending to be focused and drops his phone to try to sleep. It works in intervals – he closes his eyes for 10 minutes, wakes up for 20, and does it all over again until it's late enough that the lights are off.

He’s so tired.

Yeonjun’s typing on his phone sounds like a ticking clock.

Soobin waits until he can’t hear the tapping and slips into his bed, tucks himself into Yeonjun, arms going around his waist and his head on his shoulder blades. Yeonjun tenses up for a moment before relaxing and slowly turning around. In the dark, Soobin can barely see but he knows Yeonjun’s worried. A moment passes before he asks in a murmur, “Bin, what’s wrong?”

What can he say, but how much the thought of time passing and how much he doesn’t know makes his chest collapse onto itself sometimes, how it prickles the corner of his eyes and makes him feel heavy enough to freezes on the spot. He blurts out, “Hyung, aren’t you scared of what’s coming? This is – everything is going too fast.”

“Of course I am,” he sounds like he’s about to cry. Still, he taps Soobin’s forehead lightly and adds, “Hey, listen. We can’t let it paralyze us, okay? I know I sound like some self-help book but Bin, if – the best we can do is… focus on today and try to enjoy the moment.”

“I do, I try but it’s difficult.”

"It is," Yeonjun says, nodding. His eyes are bright and it takes a beat too long for him to answer. "But we still have to try."

He laughs and it’s half a sob. "This is so stupid. Why am I thinking about this? It’s not like things are bad.”

“Change is scary, no matter how old we are,” he murmurs. “It's okay, really. And it’s natural to be worried, you know? You guys are my second family.”

He doesn’t say _families drift apart too_. “How are you dealing with everything?”

“Oh, I’m crushed. But – I trust you all. We’ll be okay.”

He sniffles and knows he’s stained Yeonjun’s shirt somehow. “Better than me, at last. Did you tell Taehyun?”

“Yeah,” he laughs. He hides his face on the crook of Soobin’s shoulder. “He said he had to think about it since things are going to be more difficult. Just because we like each other doesn’t mean we’re going to have a relationship. It makes sense, right?”

“That sounds exactly like him.”

“It does,” A sigh. “He’s amazing like that.”

“You’re _so_ gone for him.”

Yeonjun shakes him. “Look who’s talking!”

A laugh makes a way out of his chest and Yeonjun smiles, watery around the edges. “Thank you, hyung. Sorry for ruining your night like this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Soobin-ah. You can always talk to me.”

“I know, I know. Thank you.”

He dreams of watching snow fall, a bustling crowd.

The morning is better. His steps are lighter and breakfast goes down easy. Before the drive to Sokcho, Yeonjun grabs onto his arm and squeezes, gives him a look that asks if he’s okay again and he nods, not sure if he can’t actually say anything back without lying – and he doesn’t want to lie, not about this, not right now.

His eyes soften. “Go rest up. I’ll drive this time.”

The first thing that comes to mind when he sees Sokcho it's that it’s a pretty city. The buildings seem grown, not built, in a way he can't really say for other cities; it's as if the city has always been here. When he lowers the window, he can smell the sea from everywhere; not like Busan where it was only close to the shore, but the city doesn’t let him forget its closeness to the water, not once.

Their first stop is Yeonggeumjeong, a seaside-pavilion where the waves roar so loudly in his ears he can't hear any of his friends thanks to the crash against the rocky shore. The sea looks angry; cutting in a way that screams danger and they hold the beach for a little later, when the ocean's calmed down and it decides to let them in without a struggle.

They eat in Daepo Port, watching ships come and go from the piers. It’s typical seafood from the town and Beomgyu keeps glancing at it, his nose scrunched up but his eyes curious.

“Do you want to try some?” Soobin asks after a while and after considering it for a moment, he nods. Soobin feeds him a piece of still-squirming squid he eyes for a second too long.

“This isn't really so bad.”

“You need to stop being so close minded, Beomgyu-yah,” he teases and makes a move to grab another piece of squid, this time for himself. “How are you going to be a renowned music producer if you won’t consider trying new things?”

“I'm just careful, hyung,” he says with a shrug. “I like being safe.”

“Don't we all?”

“Yeah. Sometimes it’s nice to take risks though,” he hums, points at his mouth. “Can I have another bite?”

“Sure,” he says, feeling three pair of eyes on him when he gives Beomgyu another piece of raw fish.

Surprisingly enough, he likes it too.

Taehyun drives them to the Teddy Bear Farm, a stop all of them are excited for. Just the name sounds incredible – but the pictures looked so, so cute it’s not like they could resist. The amount of bears is staggering; Soobin thinks Kai almost cries from the sight of them alone. They’re in every room, one cuter than the last one. Dressed as sailors and in swimsuits, ready for the beach or to go to work.

Soobin gets one dressed in a hanbok, makes it dance a little when he shows it to the others. Yeonjun’s bear has a dress, Taehyun’s is a doctor and Kai’s seems like it’s dressed as a cat. Beomgyu’s an orchestra conductor.

“His name is Kkyu.”

“Because he’s cute?”

“No, because his head is filled with nothing but cotton.”

Beomgyu tries to slap his arm and he moves away just at the right moment, sticking his tongue at him.

The sea is next; according to Taehyun, _can’t leave Sokcho without going to the beach at least to see it._

The late afternoon sun greets them at the beach, most of the tourists already gone for other sights. It's not empty, far from it - but it's much better than when they passed by earlier, with more space between each umbrella, less noise. The sky is still clear baby blue; the clearest it's been since the start of the trip. The wind feels good on his skin, a little damp from the heat. Brine fills his senses and he can feel his muscles relaxing with every step towards their designated umbrella.

Belatedly, he realizes he doesn’t actually want to go into the water today. He’s fine just watching Beomgyu, Taehyun and Yeonjun being silly on the shore and splashing water at each other, it’s nice to take a step back and look at how happiness shapes their features into something warmer. He sees Yeonjun grab Taehyun by the waist and dunk him right into the water, completely soaking him while Beomgyu laughs, and he can’t see his face but he can picture it clearly: eyebrows high, eyes crinkled, head slightly tilted backwards.

Kai’s with him under the umbrella, a charged silence stirring between them. He shifts by Soobin’s side and he knows what Kai wants to say already. He moves closer to Soobin and their shoulders bump.

“Hyung, you’re one of my best friends,” he starts, voice shaking a little. Soobin turns to look at him. “You can tell me things. I want to know your worries too, you don’t have to hide them.”

Soobin stares at him, a bit shocked. He didn’t expect this **–** Kai’s never been one for head-on confrontations, always preferring to let things happen naturally. Soobin opens his mouth, closes it. He looks at Soobin expectantly, picking his nails, staring at some point in the horizon, away from their friends.

“When did you grow up?” he asks after a while, messing up his hair.

Kai bats his hand away and with a cute voice he answers, “I was always like this!” which makes him smile a little sadly. Sometimes he can get too in his head and hide from the others – it’s not on purpose, it never is.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like you weren’t important to me, okay? It won’t happen again, and if it does – you can publicly embarrass me however you want.”

His eyes sparkle with possibilities. He hasn’t been thinking for too long when he says, “You have to let me carry you like you’re a princess and let Beomgyu-hyung record it for… you know. Reasons.”

Soobin nods, knowing there’s nothing else to do. “I’m sure he won’t say no to that.”

The rest of them come flocking back just after the sun’s left the scene; with only Beomgyu remaining on the shore. Taehyun’s letting Yeonjun dry his hair, a soft smile and his eyes bright while Taehyun’s not looking and it’s almost ridiculous, he thinks, how his friends keep missing each other’s clear signs. He hopes it works for them. Soobin stands up and walks to the shore, sitting in the sand by Beomgyu’s side, arm’s length away from him.

“It’s time to go, Gyu,” he says without looking at Beomgyu, his eyes set on the darkening horizon, noticing the little spots of light beginning to appear up in the sky. Beomgyu leans back, slightly towards him. He’s close, close.

“I wish this could last for a bit longer with all of us here… I was just starting to really enjoy it too… You know, I didn’t think I’d like this as much as I did.”

“I know how you feel,” Soobin says, leaning towards him, noticing how some strands of their hair tangle together thanks to the light sea breeze. “But it’s time we go back home.”

“Home,” he hums. “Alright.”

Standing up, he dusts his pants off, offers Soobin a hand; he takes it and they make their way to the van again; Yeonjun, Taehyun and Kai already picked up everything; from their towels to their shoes and the small bag with the bare-bones first aid kit, the cold cream for burns and sunscreen. Beomgyu’s clothes aren’t as wet as Taehyun’s, little water droplets on his shirt and dotting the cuff of his pants

They didn’t book a hotel – Yeonjun insisted on driving at least once during the night and they decided it’d be best for it to be their last night on the road.

They walk along the streets looking for somewhere to eat dinner and let time dry them off of the last specks of water on their clothes. They settle on one of the many grilled seafood restaurants, a nook-and-cranny type of place where they can hear every conversation around them, their knees pressed together as they ask for extra servings of kimchi.

Beomgyu catches his eye and points at his mouth and he rolls his eyes, feeds him a piece of fish. Yeonjun mouths _dumb_ at him and Soobin kicks him.

On the van, they pick every piece of stray candy and wrappers, empty water bottles and soda cans _. Better to do it right now,_ Yeonjun had insisted, _to just hand down the van when we get there._

It’s stilted, the silence that closes around them when they’re ready to go. Even with the music playing, it’s heavy on his shoulders – something he can see plainly in the others too. They’re out of the city in half an hour, Sunday night traffic is slow, almost sleepy. Yeonjun sings along with Taehyun to Epik High’s _99_ until the last song in the album dies down, the last of the melody fading in the space between them.

It’s silent for a moment, nothing but the sound of the tires against the pavement and lull of the music looping back to the first song when the sky cracks open. Rain begins to fall as sudden as tears do; drops hit the windows so hard they’re a small crack of thunder by themselves. Lighting begins to blink in the sky, illuminating the road in flashes of pure white. The music is fuzzy in the background, as distant as any star can be. Yeonjun slows down, looks back to the passenger seats through the rearview mirror.

“Soobin-ah, didn’t you check the weather?”

He frowns. The water falls hard enough he has to raise his voice to be heard. “The chances of rain were only 20%. And nothing this heavy, I would’ve told you.”

Beomgyu doesn’t tear his eyes from the window, watching the rain fall. Soobin remembers when he used to be scared of thunderstorms; 18 and hunched on his bed, covered from head to toe with his blankets and shaking, all by himself. Now it’s like he wants nothing but to melt into the sound of thunder and rain.

Taehyun’s voice pops him out of his daze. “Do you think we should stop for a while? It could be dangerous to keep going.”

Yeonjun parks the van not ten minutes later. He maneuvers himself out of the driving seat and sits closer to their makeshift circle with Taehyun and Beomgyu, who hand him a snack and pat his shoulders. The rain seems to fall harder, taps on the windows growing louder, impatient with every minute that passes, almost asking to be let in.

A few beats pass with nothing but the same weighted silence until Soobin says, “Hey, remember the first time we went to a bar with Kai?”

It makes the atmosphere lighter instantly; Beomgyu grins and Yeonjun starts telling the story like they all don’t know it, Kai groans and leans against Taehyun, who squeezes his shoulders without hiding his smile.

Then Yeonjun says, “That’s nothing like the first time all of us pulled an all-nighter with Taehyunnie right here. Do you remember that? Beomgyu had page wrinkles on his cheeks for _days._ I swear I’m not joking _._ ”

Remember the first time we all camped the library? Nothing beats the time Soobin hyung combined coffee and redbull in front of us like it was nothing. No, no, when Beomgyu called one of his professors _dad_ and he had to leave the class because he was too embarrassed to be there –

“Hyung, I’m really going to miss you.”

He scoffs, ruffling Beomgyu’s hair. “You say that like I’m going to die or something. Nothing’s going to change between us, Gyu-yah.”

“No,” Taehyun smiles, tight and small. “They’ll change. But we’re going to be just fine.”

With a watery smiles, Soobin says, “I think so too.”

“Why don’t we go out for a little bit?”

The rain has calmed down by the slightest degree and they’ve been talking for a while now; haven’t really checked their phones, too focused on this bubble, on this moment where it’s like looking at a precipice, standing just on the edge. It’s the last day.

“You want us to get soaked? Kai-yah, it’s past midnight. We’ll get sick.”

His eyes glint. Lightning briefly paints the insides of the van white. “No, hyung. I want to dance in the storm. Have you ever done that?”

They all stare at each other, wondering if this is really going to happen or it’ll stay a question. In the end, it’s Yeonjun who makes the decision for them; sliding the door of the minivan open in a single decisive moment, hurrying everyone outside and immediately closing it.

Soobin’s drenched in moments. Thunder booms in the sky, making his bones shake. The rain is still thick; droplets of water cling to his eyelashes like glitter to glue. Yeonjun and Beomgyu scream and run right into the side of the road where trees are braving the storm with no choice and Taehyun grabs his hand and Kai’s, walking close to where Yeonjun and Beomgyu are, mud climbing his legs slowly and surely. As if in a trance, they start spinning in a circle at the same time, faster and faster until they’re dizzy, laughing and cold down to the marrow.

“Hyung,” Taehyun calls. The wind carries his voice, making it sound like he’s whispering right in his ear. His eyes are wide as saucers, as if struck by genius. “You should go right now and kiss him.”

“What are you saying? No!”

Kai nods, raising Soobin’s hand, his smile wild. “You _should_ go kiss him! Go!”

Taehyun lets go of his hand, gives him a light push in Beomgyu’s direction, smiles and says, “Go, go, go!”

They’re singing as they dance and giggling when they can’t remember the lyrics to the song. Soobin thinks its June and Gaho’s _Waltz_ , one of Yeonjun’s favorites.

Thunder brightens the sky for a moment and he sees Yeonjun spin him as he laughs, wild and free, taken by the wind in an instant. He’s giddy, bursting at the seams, smile too big for his face

“Beomgyu!”

Yeonjun’s arms are around him, securing him against the wind. He takes a look at Soobin, whispers something in Beomgyu’s ear that makes him shove Yeonjun aside. He kisses Beomgyu’s cheek, squeezes Soobin’s arm for a second and begins to walk towards Taehyun and Kai, now dancing around each other like children do; exaggerated movements and silly spins, arms spread out and smiles so wide they remain visible in the rain.

He’s smiling his Soobin smile, the one he’s been seeing for so long he can’t remember when he started to look for it only to find it every single time.

Beomgyu crosses his arms, shoulders hunched. His hair is wet ink, fanned over his forehead like a hand spread open. “Soaked from head to toe, hyung. Aren’t you cold?”

“Choi Beomgyu, I’m losing my bravery by the second,” he says and it makes Beomgyu laugh, loud and lost in the storm. He crowds his space, forehead to forehead, heartbeat on his throat. “Listen. I’ve loved you for a long time now. Can I kiss you?”

Beomgyu looks up at him, smile blooming. “I love you too. How could I not?" he's laughing now. "Please kiss me.”

His lips are cold but his mouth is not – a lone point of heat warming him up. His hands are cold too, the one on his neck making him lean down and tilting his head for a better angle, one settling over his ribs. Soobin’s own hands are on his hips, thumbs pressed against his bare skin.

“Hey, Choi Beomgyu. Do you want to be with me?”

Beomgyu’s eyes curve upwards, smile hidden in lighting. “I always want to be with you, hyung.”

He laces their fingers together and pulls them farther away from the road, leaning against a tree trunk. With a grin, he wraps his arms around Soobin’s neck, pushing him closer. His fingers travel along the curve of Beomgyu’s spine until they’re at the waistband of his jeans and he slips his hands under his shirt, pressing the dimples on his back. He tastes like gummy bears.

He doesn’t know how long they stay under the tree, but the storm is almost gone; the harsh bite of the wind slowing down to a kiss and the drops going from heavy pound on his arms and neck to fingers ghosting over his skin.

“We should go back,” Soobin tells him as he kisses down his neck, onto his collarbones. “Beomgyu-yah. Let’s go back.”

He keeps trying to kiss Soobin on their way to the van with varying degrees of success; a game where they’re both winners. They’re giggling and wet and not so cold, not anymore. Kai hands them towels and they sit in the van. He gives them both a smile so big Soobin could wrap himself around it.

It’s not like he blames him – they probably look the same, starry eyes and twin smiles, punch drunk stupid, lips kiss bruised. Their fingers are casually intertwined, a simple _oh, this is what’s happening now._ There’s tree bark on Beomgyu’s hair and when Soobin points it out, he makes kissy faces at him. Soobin gives him a light shove and he falls dramatically onto the minivan’s floor.

“This was a terrible idea, Kai-yah. I hope you know that.” Yeonjun says just as a shiver makes him dance in his seat.

Taehyun nods. “We’re all going to catch a cold.”

“You know what?” Kai’s voice rises and his arms do too; in a gesture of _I’m done_. “This whole trip was a terrible idea actually and I hope you’re all aware of how much I hate you. I never want to see you again. After this I will go home, reflect on my mistakes and –” he sneezes so hard his whole body shakes with it; head forward, arms back and face scrunched up.

There’s nothing but the sound of the rain pattering to a slow stop for a moment. Then Yeonjun snorts, looks at Taehyun from the corner of his eye who’s already smiling, Beomgyu giggles and Soobin can’t not join him – and they’re all laughing about Kai sneezing or how really, this was a terrible idea or maybe they’re just happy, somewhere in the middle of the empty road between Sokcho and Seoul with nothing but each other and the clearing night sky as company.

“You’re driving us back. You did this. This is your fault.”

“Yeonjunnie hyung, didn’t we all have fun? Come on, be honest with me, this was the best part of the trip.”

“Kai-yah. As soon as we dry off you _drive us back_.”

At sunset, Seoul is lavender-soft. Wisp of light are barely visible, making a home of the bright horizon. The music’s a low, low rumble and Kai’s humming is soft. He finds Soobin’s eyes in the rear mirror and smiles, something so warm and complete he feels weighted by it. Beomgyu’s head rests on his shoulder, his mouth slightly parted and cheeks flushed. In the backseat, Taehyun and Yeonjun are holding hands in their sleep; their hair sticking up in the strangest angles Soobin’s seen.

“Hyung, we’re almost in our district,” Kai says, low and careful. Traffic is starting to wake up. The streets are empty except for a few people starting their day, bakeries and office workers slowly getting ready for a new day. “We should wake them up.”

He grabs Beomgyu’s hand and tangles their fingers together, kisses the corner of his eyes; making him stir, leaning towards his space.

“Almost home?” he asks without opening his eyes.

“Almost home.”

Beomgyu’s arms settle around his waist, bringing their bodies closer, kissing his cheek. “That was fast.”

“You weren’t driving, hyung,” he pouts. “You owe me breakfast for this. Where do I drop you off?”

“Hyung’s apartment,” Beomgyu yawns, raising a hand to cover his mouth. The bracelet gives a low _clink_ when his wrist moves – Soobin gave it to him last night, after all was said and done. Beomgyu had said _thank you_ and traced the lines on his palm. “We have things to talk about.”

Kai nods, a pleased little smile on his face. “A dramatic kiss under the rain isn’t enough, I understand. It’s not clear.”

“First of all, it’s going to be a great story to tell. Second of all, if I had the energy I would sock you right now.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Soobinnie hyung wouldn’t let you.”

“I’ll sock him too, just for fun.”

Yeonjun groans, eyes still closed and Taehyun huddles closer to him. “Shut up, all of you.”

Kai makes a zipping gesture. Beomgyu laughs into his shoulder.

The elevator doesn’t work that morning, something about an electricity failure thanks to the storm. They trade smiles and hold pinkies all the way to Soobin’s apartment.

Already home.

Yeonjun’s graduation ceremony happens a week before the fall semester begins. Kai’s been back for less than a day, his flight landing exactly 8 hours before the event is scheduled to start. Summer wanes at its own pace, watermelon ice-cream and humid air being interrupted by fresh breeze and dried persimmons.

Taehyun gets him flowers, red tulips and white roses, azaleas here and there, and kisses him right then and there when the photographer’s done taking the pictures of the graduating class, just outside the auditorium, for the world to see. Beomgyu laughs and lifts his and Soobin’s hands when Kai yells _yes!_

“We’re going for dinner with my parents,” Yeonjun says, bright eyed and cheeks flushed, hand not leaving Taehyun’s. “You all should come too.”

“Hyung and I were planning an evening of –”

“Spare us the details!” Kai replies, slapping a hand over Beomgyu’s mouth. By the look on Kai’s face, he’s still talking. “We’re going with you.”

“ _So_ glad the reservations were already made for 8 people,” Yeonjun grins.

Soobin makes a face. “That’s awfully certain of you, hyung. What if we were busy or said no?”

“You wouldn’t have, I know you.”

He calls his parents over with a wave and introduces them lightning-quick, asking his dad to take a picture of their little group all together in front of the place; Kai’s hand around Taehyun’s shoulder, Yeonjun in the middle holding the bouquet and Beomgyu whispers into Soobin’s ear _newlywed._

The camera catches him mid-laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, thank you to [mira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonria/pseuds/sonria), [tayua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sital/pseuds/sital) & [mari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vespertyne/pseuds/vespertyne) for being the best beta readers i could ask for, and to [paltita](https://twitter.com/PetiteNe) for the gorgeous illustration that you can see on the fest's tweet [here](https://twitter.com/txtbigbang/status/1361848274706169858) or by itself [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LW97u9mv5yxB682m2Ya4Y_D44WVeRhZS/view?usp=sharing) n____n thank u so much to the mods for organizing the fest & do check out the other works in the collection! you can find them [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706139/collections). thank you for reading & see you next time soogyuists! ^♡^


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